Jalal-Abad oblast

Kyrgyzstan's stunning landscape won our hearts instantly. Here is a few other thing we (managed to) notice:

There is lots of signage guiding tourists. Either to destinations or even along hiking trails. Yurt lodges often have their own signs in the villages as well. Don't count on it a 100% but it's a start!

Horse milk tastes... Different. It's a bit like buttermilk but much nuttier in a way. Tom was brave enough to drink the whole cup, I stopped after about half.

We saw heaps of bee hives, often stationed in old trucks. Maybe they can be moved more easily this way? It looked beautiful!

Most graves are featuring a gravestone with the portrait of the dead. Either engraved in the stone or sometimes even a framed picture of the deceased.

Bread (mostly white and round shaped) seems to be super popular. At the markets we went to, loaves were sold super fresh and still warm. The smell lingered over the markets and sometimes still in our car.

People are super friendly, again! Children are waving at us on the streets and adults cheerfully nod their heads or wave back, too.

However, probably due to the high number of tourists, some people (especially the younger ones) seem to be used to getting gifts, candy or chocolate. Even though we're usually happy to introduce people to Hans and his interior, we became a bit wary as it resulted in lots of "can I have this, can I have that"s. We don't have many spare things and the way we felt like we were expected to give didn't seem right. Don't get me wrong, we're happy to share but not being demanded to do so. I guess this will always be a difficult topic within tourism and I'm still trying to find an answer to it.

Since we're talking about tourism, we saw and met many hikers doing multi-day treks and also a high number of cyclists on very long journeys. An Austrian couple had been cycling for 13 months (they started in Austria) and are planning to continue for another year to reach New Zealand (look them up on saddlestories.at). Hats off, especially when it comes to those many mountain passes!

Lots of work is still done with horses. Tending to cattle, working on fields etc. Not many motorcycles to be seen (these were used a lot for guarding livestock in Mongolia).

Kyrgyzstan is the first country where we've seen lots of donkeys around. Carrying goods and or people as well as pulling carts, they seem to be a valuable work animal.

Kyrgyzstan is home to people from many different backgrounds. The majority is Muslim and the religion is clearly present, especially the farther South you go.

Buzzling bazaars are the sign of the ancient silk road heritage, crisscrossing around the country. Now fairly modern, but still beautiful. Original handicraftsmen are still carrying out the work on site and generally welcome curious spectators.

At the Osh bazaar we came across a rather odd baby cradle made out of wood. It had hole at the bottom and we wondered what it was for. Our slight idea was confirmed by a little boy eager to explain: the hole is filled in with a plastic bucket and then there are two attachments. One for boys that looks like a pipe and one for girls that looks like a rather unpleasant straw. Tough life starts early!

The traditional white and black Kyrgyz felt hat is omnipresent. It comes in different sizes. Is it an age thing? The older you get, the bigger the hat? Or is it about status?

The villages in the lush green valleys amidst the dry mountains were so quaint and beautiful! Many a times they're cut off from anything else during winter due to the snow, hence preparations were in full swing. Piles of hay were stocked up on the houses and huts, the crop was brought in and sold or prepared to feed hungry mouths in harsher times. What looked beautiful and appealing to us must be a tough life, where knowledge, organization and helping each other out must be key to everything.

There are so. many. children!Read more